1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to utility covers, and more particularly, to utility cover identification systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Identification indicia, such as company and other organization logos, trademarks, service marks, product names, and product or utility classifications have heretofore been applied to products in a variety of manners. Effective methods for applying such identification indicia to utility covers include painting, silk-screening, molding, embossing, and engraving. While these methods may be potentially cost-efficient for large production runs, cost efficiency decreases as size of the production run decreases. Correspondingly, the cost and storage space for maintaining inventory increases with the variety of identification indicia and the variety of sizes of utility covers.
Accordingly, plates bearing identification indicia (hereinafter identification plates) that attach to objects have been developed. One way to attach an identification plate to a cover is to use an adhesive and press the identification plate either onto the surface of the cover or into a recess on the surface of the cover. But if the surface or recess are not clean and dry, the adhesive may not hold. Additionally, if the adhesive and identification plate are applied further down the supply chain, for example, at a distributor, and the distributor does a sloppy glue job, such actions may reflect on and cause problems for the manufacturer. Further, such glued-on identification plates may come off and/or crack from thermal expansion and contraction.
Other methods for attaching identification plates to covers include fasteners, such as rivets, bolts, and other through-fasteners, but such methods increase the time and labor required, and thus the cost of producing such covers. Moreover, material choices for such covers may provide additional difficulties. For example, devices and methods in which appendages of the identification plate are inserted into apertures of the cover depend upon the dimensional accuracy of such apertures, both at the time of manufacture and throughout the life of the cover. Obtaining sufficient dimensional accuracy to ensure retention of such identification plates may be difficult in materials that are suitable for the exposed-environment lifecycle of such utility covers.
Examples of known apparatus and methods for securing identification indicia are disclosed in the following U.S. patent publications and patents, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety: U.S. Pat. No. 7,377,603 to Quijano, U.S. Pub. 2003/0000863 to Lee, U.S. Pub. 2005/0109650 to Huang, U.S. Pub. 2005/0189005 to Smith et al, U.S. Pub. 2006/0006240 to Singleton, and U.S. Pub. 2008/0263920 to Trigg et al.